


teen spirit.

by heegoists



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, angsty at times..., enemies? frenemies?? heewon, idk let's get this bread, just confused gay teens trying to navigate high school, news girls who are sisters hyunjin & hyejoo, the maknae hs au no one asked for, yeojin is Tired, yerim the sunshine girl she IS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-07 22:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heegoists/pseuds/heegoists
Summary: where heejin likes hyunjin, the new girl, but so does chaewon, hyejoo doesn't want anyone's help, yerim hates to see people sad, and yeojin just wants everyone to stop being dumb.isn't high school just wonderful?





	1. one.

**Author's Note:**

> OK LAID EASE!! originally, this first chapter was part of my first update for a social media au on twitter, but i've come to realize i can't be productive in that format for storytelling u_u SO, as to not let everything i've plotted for this go to waste, i'm continuing it purely as a fic for the first time in ages ajdakshdsd ENJOY~ ( u can also find me on twit @ heegoists hehe )

The air is stale, heavy with a certain familiar  _ musk _ that desperately clings to walls long since chipped of their once pristine white coats and tacky, stained carpets. Faintly, she can hear an air con rattle away, trudging through on what seemed to be its last few minutes of life with determined vigor, and for a moment, she thinks she can smell smoke ( if it wasn't for the fact that it was  _ always _ like that, she would feel more concerned— but it is, so she isn't ).

It's easy for one to lose their sense of time, stuck waiting in a room that never seemed to really move, the only  _ true _ signs of life coming from the multiple withering plants scattered around the room, the elderly secretary sat at the rooms front desk, non discreetly playing solitaire on the ancient fossil she called a computer, and the muffled rambles that managed to bleed through the door leading into the principal's office off to the side.

_ God _ , did Heejin hate being called to the front office.

She sighs faintly, letting herself lean back where she sat. There's nothing comfortable about the old wooden chairs the office has to offer, all rickety and worn out with not even a cushion to land on, and already Heejin can feel her lower back begin to ache despite how she's only been sitting for a grand total of 8 minutes.

8 minutes too  _ long _ .

Another sigh. Another glance shot at the principal's office, the door still shut tightly.

A dull vibration catches her attention, the sensation coming from her skirt's pocket, and, almost hesitantly as she looks around to make sure no one's watching ( no one is, the secretary hasn't taken her haunting gaze away from her game for a moment, even when she'd first welcomed Heejin ), she opens it.

She doesn't make it very far through the wall of texts sent her way, however, a group chat affectionately labeled _COUNCIL BADDIES 100%_ causing a silly grin to spread across her lips before it's gone just as quickly as it'd come.

Loud  _ clacks _ can be heard from the other side of the principal's office, cutting through the air cons stuttering hums easily, and that's all the warning Heejin is given, her head shooting up in surprise. She's barely able to shove her phone back in her pockets, hiding it away from authoritative eyes, her posture straightening in her chair as a two figures emerge from the room.

Principal Bae ( or simply Mrs. Bae if one preferred ) is an admirable woman, one of the very few staff members Heejin finds herself easily looking up to despite the subtle jabs she and some of her friends throw around— there's only so much one person can do to keep a school running as best as it can, and as its official matriarch, Mrs. Baes efforts and determination to help everyone succeed never go unnoticed.

The sight of the older woman makes a new, much wider grin stretch across Heejins lips.

"Ah, Heejin, I hope you weren't waiting very long," the older says, hands smoothing over the front of her wrinkle free blazer.

"Not at all, Mrs. Bae! My first period is a study hall—"  _ I'm sure you already know that _ "—and I just got here a minute ago."  _ 12 minutes, but who's counting _ .

"Good, good. Well, I'll get right to business then since it's almost time for first period," Mrs. Bae starts, hands clapping together enthusiastically. From the corner of her eyes, Heejin catches the way the secretary jumps in her seat, eyes still glued to her computer. "We've got two new students joining the school, starting today— girls, why don't you come out here?"

The older calls out towards her office, the door open in her wake, and Heejin watches with curious eyes.  _ New students? It's not everyday a new kid comes along, let alone two _ .

There's a brief pause as they wait, and Heejin can't help the way she shifts her weight from foot to foot in growing anticipation. Finally, a figure walks through the door with slow, practically sluggish steps. Dark, long hair, similar to her own, with a perpetual pout and rounded cheeks— Heejin isn't sure if she finds the girl cute with the way she shuffles forward, or slightly intimidating with the way her eyes seemed to pierce everything she looked at ( she settles on something right in the middle, a baby wolf coming to mind, her offered friendly grin being returned with a simple nod of acknowledgment ).

Right behind her, another figure follows.

Heejins smile falters, eyes widening.

It's almost like things begin to play out in slow motion— hair, so similar to the first girls, but fluffier, with rounded eyes and equally rounded cheeks. She also seems to naturally pout, but its softer, less intimidating, and suddenly Heejin wants nothing more than to see if her smile is as beautiful as she thinks it'd be.

_ Woah. Ok there _ —  _ calm down _ .

She's grateful for Mrs. Baes voice breaking through the haze, and Heejin can feel her cheeks heat up slightly, a small cough leaving her to clear her throat as the two newcomers look at her.

"This is Son Hyejoo," a hand is extended towards the wolf like girl, and Hyejoo stiffly nods her head once more. "The one beside her is Kim Hyunjin." Hyunjin smiles ( Heejin internally  _ swoons _ because she was right, her smile  _ is _ pretty ), lifting a hand to give a small wave. "Another student will be coming for Hyejoo, but I've asked you to come to see if you wouldn't mind showing Hyunjin around the school during first period. I thought, since you're both juniors and your schedules line up, who better than you?"

Heejins brows raise, and she shakes her head a little too enthusiastically without any complaint. "I wouldn't mind at all! I'll have to stop by the council room for a second, but I can show her around after that— i-if that's ok with you?"  _ Stupid stutter _ ! She looks from Mrs. Bae to Hyunjin, hands clasped together, and she hopes she comes off more casual than she feels.

"That's cool, I don't mind," Hyunjins voice is light, and she steps towards Heejin slightly, adjusting her backpack, a sign that she's ready to go. She turns around quickly, however, facing Hyejoo. "I'll see you later, hye."

Again, all Hyejoo does is nod.

Hyunjin looks at Heejin expectantly.

"Okay," she starts, nodding and turning towards the door slowly. "Let's go."


	2. two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, i'm trying to make chapters longer but im also in school now so WHAT IS TIME :(
> 
> also i meant to mention this before bUT:  
\- heej, hyun & chae are seniors  
\- hye & yerim are juniors  
\- yeojin is a sophomore teehee

If there was one thing Yerim disliked the most in the world, it was silence— the kind that left it difficult to breathe, leaving the air thick with an obvious, yet seemingly unsolvable tension where words seemed to lodge themselves in throats that wanted nothing more than to relax and breathe. Moments like that never failed to make shivers run up her spine with just how amplified everything seemed to get, her heart rate picking up with anticipation she can never logically explain.

Yeojin liked to tease her about it constantly, saying with absolute conviction that the reason she couldn't stand silence and keeping still for even a second was because she was  _ the human embodiment of six shots of espresso in a venti strawberry frappuccino _ . essentially, god mode liquified.

( "Who even asks for  _ espresso  _ shots in a frappuccino? Those are supposed to be an occasional sweet treat," Yerim had once asked during a particularly uneventful lunch block, her tone laced with complete and utterly exasperated confusion, the baby carrots and dip she'd been snacking on quickly forgotten. Their group had been thinner than it usually was that day, the seats where Yuna and Chaeryeong always sat stone-cold thanks to the blondes'  _ genius  _ idea to attempt to sneak a  _ tiny  _ look at the answer sheets to the biology test they had the next week— Yerim didn't take part in their crimes due to the guilty conscious she knew she'd have after, but Yeojin did, and as the only one who'd run away fast enough after a janitor spotted them not so sneakily trying to pick the lock to Mrs. Jungs classroom, she'd managed to avoid having to spend a week's worth of lunch blocks eating with the principle in the main office.

"Let me explain something to you, you sweet, naive buttercup of a summer child," Yeojin began, hands clasping together in the same way they always did when she was about to go on a tangent. Yerim wants to giggle but she holds it in, the other's posture straightening as if she was a teacher preparing to give a lecture. "This world is full of insane people, people who don't look insane, but are insane— they hide among us, these disgusting creatures who do nothing but pray for the downfall of amazing, hardworking bad bitches like us—"

Yerims words come as a whispered rush. "—Don't swear! Mrs. Park is literally two tables away and you know how she is—"

"—She's a bad bitch too, Yerim, and bad bitches support each other! The detention slip she gave me last time was only a formality because Principle Bae was in the room—"

"—She still made you go to the detention—"

"—And if you can recall me telling you, we played Uno the whole hour I was there! Moving on," Yeojin heaves a heavy sigh with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, pretending to look annoyed. Yerim does her best to suppress an eye roll of her own, leaning over the table to quickly fish for a gummy bear from the bag peeking out of Yeojins lunchbox. The smaller lets her, but not without an empty glare, a hand reaching for a gummy bear of her own. "All I'm saying is that there are some weird people out there with weird tastes, and if it wasn't for the fact that your sweet and preppy attitude overshadows your weirdness, I would have called the police on you the first day of freshman year."

Yerim still didn't understand, just as confused, maybe even more so, as she'd been at the start, but she'd been quick to write it off. Yeojin always seemed to leave her feeling confused. )

If one was to ask Yerim, she didn't think she was as bad as Yeojin often teased. In her eyes, there was nothing wrong with wanting constant movement, for things to be on a steady flow where awkward glances and congested silences simply weren't allowed.

Movement meant things were getting done, and if Yerim was  _ anything _ , she was productive.

Now, however, stood before a new wall of completely unreadable expressions, her cheeks aching from the wide smile she desperately wanted to be returned, Yerim feels anything but productive.

She wracks her brain for something, anything, that could potentially strike up a lasting conversation, taking in dyed blue tips that were  _ totally _ not supported by the schools rules, heavy looking combat boots that  _ definitely _ went against the schools carefully curated dress code, and rosy cheeks Yerim would have normally cooed over if not for the others stiff, standoffish posture.

This girl, one of the two new students Principle Bae had quickly briefed her on before rushing back to her office to take a call, looked like a deer in the headlights, and Yerim was now in charge of showing her around.

Taking a small, but deep breath, she does her best to keep her smile from breaking despite the way it stings, taking a step forward with a hand thrust out. “Your name is Hyejoo, right? Ah, of course, it is— Principle Bae already said that when she was introducing us, sorry!” It’s nothing but word vomit, falling quickly from her lips without pause, and Yerim can feel heat crawling up the back of her neck the longer she goes on. “I was kind of nervous when I got called here, I don’t ever get in trouble, so the only times I come here is when a teacher needs someone to make extra copies for class, or like when I forget my lunch at home and my mom has to come drop it off for me! Then again, that’s only ever happened, like, two times, so even then it’s not a lot—”

“...Can you show me where the library is.”

The other girls interruption catches her off guard, Yerims eyes widening in her own surprise, and she’s not sure what’s the cause: the fact that the soft voice she’d heard did  _ not  _ match the mouth it’d come from, or the fact that her words had been more of a demand than a question. She falters, registering the strain coming from her arm, and it’s then that she remembers she’d still had it outstretched, ready and left waiting.

“I’m...sorry?”

A beat of silence. “The library. Can you show me where it is?”

Hyejoos voice holds more strength this time, an odd thing to hear with just how detached it had come across, and Yerims brows furrow.

“I-I can show you! It would have to be a quick stop since our first period is starting soon, but it’s close to class, so we should be able to make it!” Always agreeable, always wanting to keep others happy and appreciative of her, Yerim is quick to agree, happy for what seems to be the progress of friendship.

With newfound motivation, Yerim is outside of the front office in the blink of an eye, Hyejoo shuffling behind with her head downcast.

**❪ ♡ ❫**

“Huh, so  _ this  _ is what a student council room looks like...it’s messier than I pictured it would be.”

Heejins head turns quickly, startled by words that cut through the gentle rustling of papers she’d been going through, and it takes a moment for her skittish heart to calm down. She’d always hated that about herself, how easy it was for her to be frightened, whether the culprit is a friend suddenly jumping out at her from a hidden spot or a cup falling in a silent room. At least this time, it wasn’t just some inanimate object pulling one over her— her gaze lands on Hyunjin almost immediately, shoulders tensed and eyes wide, a stark contrast to the way Hyunjin leans herself comfortably on one of the few tables placed around the room. She wears a lazy grin, brow raised in amusement.

Heejin wants nothing more than to melt into the floor.

“Did i scare you? All I did was talk,” Hyunjin teases, grin broadening, shoulders shaking gently with the laugh that follows. “Here I thought Hyejoo was the scary one, but I guess it’s been me this whole time.”

Heejin can only stare a moment longer, back still facing the other, and her neck begins to cramp. Taking a deep breath, she turns her head away out of embarrassment to focus on tidying up the papers in front of her, her own response mumbled as a result. “I wasn’t scared! you just—” She’s surprised with how shy she sounds, lips forming a tight line.  _ God, if Jisu saw me now, she’d destroy me _ . “—You just surprised me, that’s all. Anyone would be startled by someone speaking up so loudly when it’s quiet.”

All she hears from the other is a gentle hum, something she takes as an acknowledgment of her words.

“Besides, there isn’t anything scary about you at all.”

Hyunjin scoffs, straightening her stance as Heejin grabs her bag from where she’d set it carefully down on a chair, papers left and stacked neatly on what seemed to be the council members desk for later. “You say that now, but wait until you see me on the court— I take no prisoners.” As she speaks, nearing the door to exit the room, she holds it open without a word and waits for Heejin to pass through first. Heejin ducks past shyly, a small smile on her lips in thanks.

Heejin raises a brow, her prior embarrassment gone, replaced with interest as they walk aimlessly down the empty hall. “Court...you play basketball?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches the way Hyunjin nods her head, and Heejin wishes she’d not turned to look at her when she did— bravado is written all over the other girls' features, momentary smugness causing her chest to puff and chin to lift. Heejins pace startles slightly, tripping over her own feet. “No one can shoot a 3 pointer like me.”

Heejin has no clue what that means, but she’d believe it.

The longer they walk, no clear destination in mind while they talk, Heejin pointing out rooms and directions, she can feel herself beginning to think with a clearer mind, no longer starstruck by bright eyes and newly discovered sharp canines. Hyunjin is nice, that much was clear from the very beginning, a warm cup of hot chocolate she could easily find herself wanting more of as the last dregs of summer roll out into autumn, and while her acceptance and want for more is a bit overwhelming, Heejin doesn’t think it’s bad.

It’s as she laughing at Hyunjins recounting of how she’d once gotten in trouble as a child for throwing a cordless house phone at her dad's face, breaking his nose to prove she’d indeed been strong since day one that their bubble wobbles. It’s the sudden sight of long blonde hair, a small figure with her back to them as she searched around her locker for  _ whatever  _ she was looking for— _ if Hyunjin wasn’t here, I’d give her the fastest detention slip for being out of class because I know she doesn’t have a hall pass. She never does _ — that makes a bitter taste settle on the tip of her tongue, her laugh dying down, and it’s her sudden annoyance that makes her reach for Hyunjins arm.

“Let's go down this right hall instead, that one down to the left only has lockers, a few empty classrooms and one of the emergency exits,” Heejin says, voice quieter in hopes that the girl down the hall won’t take notice of them. Her smile is tight, and she’s already inching herself off in the direction she’d suggested.

Hyunjin takes the bait without fail, following along as easily as she’d been before. “Sure. Maybe you can show me where the gym is...?”

In her eagerness to put distance between the two of them and the blonde, Hyunjins change of tone startles her, Heejins gaze moving back to the taller. Her question is on the tip of her tongue, brows knitting together, but then she notices Hyunjins eyes are locked on something farther down the hall they’d turned down. Following her line of sight, Heejins confusion only grows.

She spots the tail end of Hyejoos blue tips as she rounds the corner at the very end of the hall, coming from another hallway with a rushed pace before reaching a set of double doors and squeezing through them before Heejin can even blink.  _ That’s the library _ . She only remains quiet as another figure follows a few seconds later, stopping before the double doors hesitantly. It takes Heejin a moment, squinting as she searched for a name to go with the face.

Yerim.

The younger girl simply stands there, hands clenched at her sides, staring hard at the handles to the doors, only to give a defeated sigh as she turns around, walking dejectedly back down the way she’d come from.

Heejins mouth falls open slowly. “Wasn’t that—”

“So, the gym?”

It’s silent for a moment, and Heejin thinks of what to say. She looks to Hyunjin when she hears the other take a deep breathe, taking in the way her lips thin out into a slightly knowing frown. Heejin doesn’t like it, doesn’t like how quickly the spark she’d held in her eyes before had dulled, but all she does is nod her head before they’re walking once more, the air a little stiffer.

Heejin doesn’t feel the eyes that follow her carefully as the two round a corner at the opposite end of the hall, but they hold contact until there’s nothing left to see anymore.

Baby pink gel nails, freshly done and perfectly shaped twirl blonde strands slowly, a dangerous smirk known ( and feared ) by many replacing a once neutral expression.

“Interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm still trying to get back into writing fics, so sorry if certain parts are worded weirdly?? tryna find the mojo i once had ajsdhajs
> 
> feedback from comments, thoughts, and suggestions are always welcome & appreciated ♡  
twit: @heegoists  
curiouscat: curiouscat.me/heegoist


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